Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having at least two of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, plotting, and scanning capabilities, and a toner conveyance device used therein.
Description of the Related Art
Generally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copiers and minters include a cleaning device to collect untransferred toner. Specifically, image forming apparatuses form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor drum (i.e., an image bearer), develop the latent image into a toner image with a developing device, and transfer the toner image at a transfer position onto a recording medium, such as a sheet of paper. The cleaning device removes, from the photoconductor drum, residual toner (untransferred toner) that is not transferred at the transfer position onto the recording medium.
For example, in the cleaning device, the collected toner is transported by a conveying screw, falls (slides) down a downward passage, and reaches a horizontal conveyance passage communicating with the lower end of the downward passage. In the conveyance passage, a conveying screw disposed therein horizontally transports the collected toner, and the collected toner is either transported to the developing device for reuse or collected in the waste-toner container as waste toner.
There are image forming apparatuses in which a reciprocating member is disposed in the downward passage, through which the collected toner falls (slides down), and the reciprocating member moves up and down along an inclined wall face of the downward passage to prevent a bridge formed with the collected toner inside the downward passage.